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Apr 8, 2009

Wednesday April 8, 2009 Patrick Jordan

Theme: Un-state-ly State

18A: "Show me" state?: SKEPTICISM

24A: Empire state? SUPREMACY

37A: Volunteer state?: WILLINGNESS

53A: Beehive state?: DILIGENCE

59A: Granite state?: DURABILITY

Not an easy battle this morning. If those states were real states, I bet I would struggle too. I can never remember those state nicknames. Minnesota is "North Star State". Our state motto is "L'Etoile du Nord" (the Star of North). Maybe you can educate me today with your state nickname and why it's named so.

Normally I don't like clues-as-theme style grid, but I do like this puzzle. I thought it's quite creative. I also love the 5 K's. Just heard on the radio the other day that the K in Kn combination (knock, knot, knife) was pronounced 500 hundred years ago. Nobody k-nows why it suddenly became silent.

I don't like the clue for SHUTS (68A: Turns (off) because OFF is the answer for 55A: Not working. Wish APR (22A: Car loan letters) were clued as "19D month". It would be a great crossing with IRS (19D: Treasury Dept), don't you think so?

To those who worked on Barrel of A Pencil's "Get the Lead Out" puzzle, here is the answer sheet. He also provided additonal information on his pencil theme at the Comments section.

Across:

1A: Summon the genie: RUB. My answer was ASK. Genie is the English transliteration of the Arabic jinn.

4A: Stacy who played Mike Hammer: KEACH. Unknown name to me. I have no idea who Mike Hammer is.

9A: Fischer man?: PAWN. Bobby Fischer. Great clue. Play on fisherman.

13A: Greek goddess of discord: ERIS. Discordia for the Romans. She is the sister of Ares, god of war. She indirectly caused the Trojan War, correct? Since she threw the Apple of Discord at the party.

16A: Pentathlon event: EPEE. Oh, I did not know this. According to Wikipedia, modern penthathlon consists five events: pistol shooting, EPEE fencing, 200-meter freestyle swimming, show jumping and a 3 km cross-country run.

17A: Almanac tidbit: FACT

20A: Anxious feeling: UNEASE. Who else thought of QUALMS?

23A: Lunched or brunched: ATE. or "munched".

32A: A unicycle has one: TIRE

35A: "Men in Black" extras: ALIENS. Have never seen the movie. I remember we had ETS clued as "Men in Black" extras once.

40A: Broadway opening?: SCENE I. Tricky. I wanted LETTER B, thinking of the first letter of Broadway, but I needed one more blank.

44A: With 6-Down, it's "bitter" in England: PALE 6D: See 44-Across: ALE. New to me. I don't drink beer.

46A: Francisco's farewell: ADIOS. Alliteration in the clue again.

51A: Leading the pack: ON TOP

56A: Instrument sometimes made from koa wood: UKE. Learned this when I researched for "Hawaiian acacia" last time. KOA wood is valued for furniture and musical instruments.

65A: East Asian capital: SEOUL. Tokyo is another 5-letter word that might fit. Beijing, Pyongyang (North Korea), Taipei, Ulan Bator (Mongolia) have too many letters. But those are all the East Asian capitals.

66A: Trig ratio: SINE

67A: "Sneaked" look: PEEK. Lovely clue.

Down:

1D: Scow load: REFUSE. Hmm, noun. Verb would be good too, since we have I CAN (33A: Optimist's credo) in the grid.

2D: First planet discovered using a telescope: URANUS. In 1781, by William Herschel. Can you believe telescope was already developed in 1608?

4D: Casey who provided Shaggy's voice in TV's "Scooby-Doo": KASEM. Only knew him "Deejay Casey". He is a Lebanese-American.

5D: Bugling grazer: ELK. I forgot ELK bugles. It only bugles during the rut season, right?

7D: Common HMO requirements: COPAYS

10D: They're abuzz with activity: APIARIES. Learned this word a few months ago. Can't be BEEHIVES since it's part of the clue for 53A.

11D: Gene Autry film: WESTERN. Thought the clue was asking for a specific film title. I often confuse his horse Champion with Lone Ranger's Silver & Roy Roger's Trigger/Bullet.

12D: Luthor and Brainiac, to Superman: NEMESES. An educated guess. Wow, FRIENDS also have 7 letters.

14D: Unsettling look: STARE

21D: Declining from old age: SENILE. Really like Julie Christie's "Away From Her". To me, she is more beautiful than Sophie Loren.

26D: Sicilian pastry: CANNOLI. Have never had CANNOLI before. Are those cherries on the open ends?

28D: Elevator man: OTIS. His given name is Elisha. Hebrew for "God is salvation". Interesting, Dictionary says El is "God" and yesha is "salvation". So, the ELIHU Yale's name is God related too then. Oh, my god, Dictionary further explains that ELIHU means "He is my god" or "my god is he".

34D: Movie excerpt: CLIP

36D: "Gil Blas" novelist: LESAGE. Sigh, I forgot all about this novelist. Identical clue a few months ago. I quoted his "Pride and conceit were the original sins of man" and "Facts are stubborn things" last time. Need to split his name into LE SAGE to remember him.

37D: Was released: WENT FREE. Had trouble obtaining this phrase. Kept thinking of parole.

38D: Not __ many words: IN SO

39DL One who may converse in Erse: GAEL. CELT is 4-letter too.

40D: Failed to meet as planned: STOOD UP

41D: Befuddle: CONFUSE

45D: "The Story of __"L 1975 Isabelle Adjani film: ADELE H. Complete unknown to me. ADELE H refers to ADELE Hugo, second daughter of Victor Hugo. Wikipedia says it's destructive story of her unrequited love to a naval officer.

47D: Collection agency concerns: DEBTS. And IOU (61D: Debtor's concerns). Do you have a better clue for IOU? I am just not fond of this debtor/DEBT.

49D: Gas rating: OCTANE

50D: Get riled: SEE RED. You won't believe the trouble I had parsing SEERED.

52D: Dartboard setting: PUB. Or BAR.

54D: Pastoral poems: IDYLS. More familiar with IDYLL.

57D: Sleeping Beauty awakener: KISS. What's the name of the prince who kissed her? I thought the clue was asking for him.

60D: Scriptural ship: ARK. I am surprised that Noah's ARK is also mentioned in Qur'an.

62D: Disapproving word: TUT. No waffling between TUT and TSK this time due to the crossing SEOUL.

99 comments:

Good morning, C.C. and gang - boy, did I like this puzzle! Lots and lots of thinking outside the box and some very clever cluing. I also thought it was a great theme. Clever clues, to me, were 'Summon the genie', 'Fischer man?', and 'Broadway opening'. I didn't know the Isabelle Adjani film, and also didn't know that cork came from oaks, but the perps took care of those.

Today is Draw a Picture of a Bird Day. I won't say a word...

Today's Words of Wisdom: "People tend to gain in tolerance and grow more generous-spirited as they get older, but on the other hand, we often lose connectedness and some degree of interest in what's going on, so our generosity is not all that expensive to us." -- Writer Edward Hoagland

A few Fun Facts to ponder:

- If the average male never shaved, his beard would be 13 feet long when he died.

- The average length for a criminal sentence in Columbia is 137 years.

- In Chico, California, the city council enacted a ban on nuclear weapons, setting a $500 fine for anyone detonating one within the city limits.

I needed google to help me today. First, I wanted BEER/ALE for PALE ALE. MALT ALE also fits. I also wanted I'M OK for I CAN so I had to google CANNOLI, GAEL, ADELE H and LESAGE. For TBAR, I initially thought of TRAM, for ERIS I had HERA, SEOUL was either HANOI or TOKYO at first, ELK was EWE for a while, NEMESES was ENEMIES and APIARIES was initially BEEHIVES. I remembered AVIARIES but I had to google to get APIARIES.

I know. TUT TUT TUT. :)

I should have thought of SEOUL earlier, having lived there for three years before coming to Taiwan.

Dennis,What's the first three-letter word that popped into your mind for "Summon the genie"? As for the quote, I find many people tend to get intolerant and bigoted as they grow older. I did not know the sentence in Columbia is so harsh. Why, drugs?

Martin, Come on, HANOI in East Asia?

Andrea,Re: Blog Traffic. Now we have more visitors from Vancouver and less visitors from Oregon area. The Oregonian dropped TMS Daily a month ago and has not replaced it with LA Times Daily.

Lemonade & SandbridgeKaren,I totally agree with your points. I feel a well-constructed puzzle should not send solvers to Google Fest. It should force the solvers to use their brain and then bang their head against the computer keyboard with V-8 moments.

Hello CC, a very nasty puzzle for me today. In fact, this has been the worst week of puzzling since the shift to LAT. I noticed in your interview that Dan said "Rick Norris is taking it easy on his new solvers now." After my solving experiences this week I find that comment scary.

I had all kinds of false starts today IE 37D I had sets free for went free, 43A I had lots for tons, and for some reason I had arm in lieu of pec for 9D. DUH!! I also have a problem with epee for 16A, but after Googling it seems to be correct. Google refers to The Men’s Fencing Epee one touch match of the Modern Pentathlon event, but does not refer only to epee. This puzzle took far too long to complete and has damaged my ego, hopefully,not beyond repair.

This was a fun, tricky puzzle, with some great clues like “Fischer’s man.”

My college attending boys recently took me to a wine and beer superstore, and explained to me about Pale Ales (also called IPA) which is the modern name for what used to be called “bitters” in English pubs. You never know where puzzle answers will come from. These brews even are sold as EB, for extra bitter; why I do not know.

“Men in Black” and its sequel, were fun movies; pure silliness, but well done and Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones played off each other well, and Rip Torn and Linda Fiorentino, who was great in “Dogma,” were perfect.

For those who read the late night discussion on art: PMT, is sincerity the only requirement for art, or does it require some talent, vision or skill to become art? And cannot "crude" art be truly beautiful and moving? There are commercials that are much more entertaining and well crafted than the programs during which they run, as well as CA's point about a history of commissioned works being wonderful, from both the world of painting to music, to the works of Shakespeare.

I don’t know if any of your friends straightened out the LAY in gambling. As a long time denizen of the Nevada casinos, I can say with a large amount of authority that the term ‘lay’ or ‘lay down’ in a casino refers to making a gambling bet, as in “she is going to the blackjack table to make a laydown”.

Bluegrass is not really blue--it's green--but in the spring, bluegrass produces bluish-purple buds that when seen in large fields give a rich blue cast to the grass. Early pioneers found bluegrass growing on Kentucky's rich limestone soil, and traders began asking for the seed of the "blue grass from Kentucky.

I'm undone. Not by the puzzle which I got without help. Took a tad bit of time - I wanted abbreviations for the states referenced as part of the answers - when I finally realized I was going in the wrong direction then it fell into place. Like Dennis I enjoyed the clever cluing - Fischer man in particular. No I'm undone by the fact that it took Dan Taylor 2:12 to solve this and the fact he does so many puzzles each day. Guess I'm a left brainer. Won't be competing in xword puzzle contests in this lifetime.

Dennis - when I lived in Philly we used to say we should cut off all the bridges to Jersey, let the entire state float away and then PA would have the seashore. Thanks again for the FF's - if 137 years is average, wonder what do they consider a long sentence?

There finally was a comment in our local paper today about the puzzle (takes them time to respond to customers I guess). Apparently people called to say the puzzles were too tough and wanted the old ones back. Their answer uses the word 'tweak' a lot but basically said "we're willing to tweak here too, but give it a few weeks. See if the Time's puzzle grows on you" - like they can bring the old puzzles back. If they'd explained up front probably could have saved a ton of time and energy.

Wisconsin is the Badger State. This nickname originally referred to the lead miners, of the 1830s, who worked at the Galena lead mines in Illinois. These mines were in northwestern Illinois close to the borders of Wisconsin and Iowa. The Wisconsin miners lived, not in houses, but in temporary caves cut into the hillsides. These caves were described as badger dens and, the miners who lived in them, as badgers. This derisive nickname was brought back to Wisconsin by these miners. Eventually, the nickname was applied to all of the people of Wisconsin and, finally, to the state itself. The badger was adopted as Wisconsin's state animal in 1957n in the ground.

I amazed myself this morning by actually getting it all out eventually (stress the eventually!) I knew KEACH, but hovered over ELK and ALE for a long time. Finally put the pale and ale together though.

At first I was trying to remember the state nicknames too, but soon realized they weren't right. Also looked for a particular Autry film until the duh moment. Before that, I wondered if Fischer (German spelling) was a hint for the word "man" in German, so I put MANN at first. I was trying to remember the last part of Lesage's name until I suddenly thought: "I bet I still have that!" and sure enough, there it was on my shelf: two volumes of Gil Blas, an apprenticeship novel I had to read in my second year at college. I didn't know cork came from oaks, so it took a while before I would admit that was right. I thought of lots for TONS, but luckily put the right thing in first.The rest went easily, so it was a success.

I liked today's puzzle - only Googled the Isabelle Adjani film.North Dakota is Peace Garden State. On the border with Canada there is a lovely park dedicated to peaceful relations between the US and Canada - called The International Peace Garden. The site hosts various meetings and events such as an inernational music camp in the summer. The gardens make a lovely setting for weddings.

I really enjoyed solving this puzzle. Struggled a bit and did need some help. I used "avaiaries" instead of "apiaries" and missed "epee" as a result.

I enjoyed reading your interview with the "speedy crossword solver". If I solve a puzzle too quickly, it is kind of a downer. As in "is that all there is?" I need to work my brain a bit harder. An interestin aside for me as a result of doing crosswords is a desire to learn French. I love the French words that are clued - such a "Etoile". Isn't that a beautiful word!.

PA is called the Keystone State. It has had the name since 1802. No one is quite sure why, but probably because of its central location among the original 13 colonies. Another nickname is the Quaker State in honor of Wm Penn.

Hope you all have a good day. I'm still waiting for "sandal" weather!!

A question for some of you more computer literates. When I link onto you links in the comments and come back to the comments my return always goes to the top of the page. Then I have to scroll down until I find my place. When I use CC's links in her original comments the return to comments always goes back to my beginning position. How do I get my return to go back to where I started?

When I was little, we always heard of Connecticut as the Nutmeg State, though the legislature changed it to the Constitution State in 1959. My knowledge of nutmeg was limited to sprinkling it on egg nog and custard dishes. I just now did some reading on the subject, and was rather surprised to learn, the name came from an unscrupulous lot of Connecticut residents, who sold ordinary wood as nutmeg. I also did not know nutmeg had hallucinogenic properties, similar to MDMA ( known on the street as Ecstacy, or X) an amphetamine compound. Gee these puzzles do lead to thought- NUTMEG.

I worked on this in the waiting room at the VA lab while getting my semi-annual blood draw and was somewhat distracted. It is a great puzzle. I had pint for pale and nothing for Adele H. I could not think of diligence, otherwise was perfect. Enjoyed the clever clues already referred to by others.

Re your interview, C.C., I am blown away. I can't do anything in two and a half minutes. I do find my skills improving, however.

Dick, thanks for your question about links. C.C. is the only one who brings us back to where we started. I know nothing about inserting links and am continually amazed at the arcane info that you all come up with. Case in point: Argyle's link yesterday showing midshipmen holy-stoning decks on the Wisconsin.

In the story of Sleeping Beauty which my parents read to me (and I then read for myself) the prince didn't have a name. I guess they gave him a name (Phillip?) in the movie.

This puzzle was a terrible struggle for me. Unknowns - KASEM, ADELE H, LESAGE. Also didn't know ELKs bugle. I had ACHES for SORES, ABS for PEC and BEEHIVES for APIARIES (I was working both A's and D's at the same time since I was really struggling, so hadn't seen 'beehive' clue). And the multiple word answers (especially SEE RED) really bothered me today, maybe because there were just so many.

'Fischer man' was my favorite clue.

I thought EPEE was a bogus answer. EPEE is the tool, fencing is the event. Based on Dick's comment, I may be wrong, but I still think it is bogus.

It is becoming clear to me that when it gets back to normal difficulty, I'm going to have a lot of trouble solving these puzzles beyond Tuesday.

New Jersey is called the Garden State because it was mostly farms which supplied New York and Philadelphia with their fruits and vegetables. The best tomatoes are still grown in N.J.! I live in California now but miss my home state's delicious produce. N.J. also has some of the most beautiful beaches in the U.S. Dennis, I suggest that you actually get off the Turnpike and explore the real N.J. You might be surprised.

Good morning, everyone! I had to g-spot LESAGE, and change 44A from BEER to PALE, but other than that enjoyed the challenge. I totally know how hard it was to parse SEERED. On my final check through I finally got it. Lots of interesting clues today. Clues for 40A SCENE I and 52D PUBS were very nice. ADELEH was a WTF and I thought IDYL had two Ls. Not familiar with CANNOLI, and yes, those look like maraschino cherries on the ends.

Oregon is "The Beaver State" because there were so many beaver here -- the fur trade helped open up the Northwest for settlement.

@dennis Once the picture is drawn, then what? Give it to someone?

@dick I've found that clicking on the orange/rust heading of the daily puzzle opens the comments without avatars and allows me to return back to where I was originally before hitting the link. I keep another tab open where I can make comments. Just wish I could toggle back and forth between them, but must click on the tabs to do so.

Good Morning All, I thought this was a really clever puzzle. I caught the theme quickly and I'm getting less nervous about the "?" clues, although "Fischer man?" had me going for a while. I thought of MEL Fischer, the deep sea treasure hunter, but one letter short. Then I came up with JOEY Buttafuoco, Amy Fisher's mullet-headed lover. As it turned out those aren't "Fischer's" anyway. I had to go to the perps to finish that corner.

The SW gave me a few problems because the phrase WENT FREE was a toughie, SCENE I just wouldn't come to me and I had NO SHOWS for 40D. That is why I will probably never time myself. I had to stop for a few minutes, get another cup of coffee and come back. Finally STOOD UP showed up and I completed the puzzle.

CANNOLI made me think of The Godfather line, by Clemenza, after Rocco killed Paulie in the car. "Leave the gun, take the cannoli"

Warren mentioned that California is "The Golden State", not only for the Gold Rush of 1849, but also for our gorgeous poppies that still grow wild along the less traveled roads. In northern California, the summer heat turns all our grass to a lovely golden shade. It's beautiful as long as nobody lights a match!

Lemonade and PMT, too bad the "what is art" discussion came up so late. Very thought provoking stuff.

Rex Parker, Thanks for asking. I am enjoying the shift and am looking forward to some real head-scratchers.

North Dakota is also called the Flickertail state, after a common ground squirrel, and Roughrider state, after Teddy Roosevelt I believe. Perhaps we should also call it the Flood State, after all the flooding we're experiencing this spring. BTW, I'm enjoying the new puzzles. Challenging, something to get used to.

you have good memory, I posted once or twice last year some time. And yes, my wife is Chinese.

Thanks for the interview, very interesting. The documentary he mentioned "Wordplay" is a fantastic film, and also inspired me to start crosswording again. If any of you haven't seen it, it's worth looking out for.

Can anyone tell me what ARP is an acronym for? I have no idea.

@Kazie

Adelaide hasn't changed much really, I have only gone back a handful of times myself over the last thirty years, and the best description of the city would be "moribund".

CC: I purposely stay vague about my location...paranoia over cyber-stalkers...I don`t give local "events" or weather for the same reason, although we have lots of both! :)I would enjoy learning how states got their nicknames, though.I had to read John Grisham to learn about the pelican state and I have always wondered "why the pelican?"

As to your observation about "older" people becoming "intolerant" and "bigoted" I really hope that wasn`t aimed at any of us. Perhaps it could be that we`ve lived long enough to know what works and what doesn`t and have the strength of our convictions to say so. Being "fully persuaded" does not mean we reject other styles and viewpoints or the precious people who carry them...I`m so sorry if you have been hurt by a few, intolerant bigots. Do like my coach used to tell me, "Shake it off!"

Hi, everybody,Last night I was still thinking about the big switchover, and was struck by a new thought (this often happens in the middle of the night -- you?)I realized that with the old TMS puzzle, when I finished I said, basically, 'ok, that's that for today.'Now, with the LATimes while solving I sometimes laugh out loud, or at least smile at the cleverness or wit of a clue/answer. That's worth a lot to me -- getting smiles and fun and surprise from a puzzle. Who doesn't need that every day?!

Good afternoon y'all! This puzzle was easier than yesterday's for me. I knew something tricky was up when Missouri didn't fit as the "Show Me State". My best friend is from Missouri and bought a car from Missouri when she was in the navy and the guys kidded her about it because of the license plate. Stacy Keach was born here in Savannah when his dad was a drama professor at Armstrong State College where I graduated. I can't believe I forgot about Bobby Fischer. My last name is Fischer. Duh! I love when any puzzle refers to anything from Hawaii (56A uke). My husband and I got married on a volcano in Hawaii and spent a few weeks honeymooning on the islands. I felt ill on the way home and,well, we came home with a souvinier (sp?).

Slowly, and with lots of cheating, I got 'er done.Luckily I am able to laugh at my lack of competence.Couldn't fill in that L in elk and allot!! "Why not?" I ask myself.Apiaries is a newbie for me. I wanted to change the p to a v for aviaries, but I knew epee was correct.

PICTURE THISScene I:a pub in Seoul, lots of western aliens drinking pale ale and munching on cannoli. Sounds of a uke strumming in background while the bugling of an elk is heard in the distance.Confused, and suddenly seered, Ted rises up and yells,"I can!!!!"Many stares from the elevator man, Otis, and a hushed "Tut,Tut"Ted exits with an "adios"

The back and sides of my acoustic Martin guitar are made of Koa wood, so an easy gimmie there. Didn't know that Elk bellow or that cork comes from oak trees either. Wanted Scot at first for Gael, otherwise like the others, once I got past the state nickname red herring, it was pretty smooth sailing.

Someone asked what APR stands for; it is Annual Percentage Rate. This is what you pay in interest on a yearly basis. It varies tremendously on car loans, as some loans are simple interest, some loans are compound interest and some are front loaded, where the interest for the entire loan period is added to the balance in the beginning. This method insures a big profit for the lender even if you pay the loan off early.

Mickey Spillane created a true anti-hero in MIKE HAMMER, who did not believe in the law, only in justice. HAMMER was obsessively violent, and a reaction to the victim oriented reforms of the 1950’s by the Earl Warren Supreme Court, which sought to end the police tactic of beating confessions out of people, as well as stopping unlawful searches and seizures. Like current fan favorite, ROBERT PARKER (any relation Rex?) creator of the Spenser novels, Spillane identified with his character, and in fact played the part in a movie made sometime in the 60’s. My eldest brother loved the books, and the fact that HAMMER nicknamed his 45, Betsy.

RUB is the simple answer for most Americans, because our knowledge of Genies (Jinns) is almost entirely derived from the Aladdin story where rubbing the lamp releases the Genie.

I forgot to mention earlier, IPA, is an acronym for India Pale Ale, which got its name from the export of Pale Ale to India, rather than the reverse.

It is not uncommon for the age and wisdom that comes with survival, to also inspire a sense of knowing more than others, which ends up with intolerance with opposing views. Remember to love your fellow man, and the rest is easy.

I'm back, and what a lot there is to remark on. First, isn't 50 D SEE RED?

Wisconsin's license plates say "the Dairy State", though lately it seems that CA has overtaken our production, and more land is being lost to development here than I would like. There are also lead mines here in Mineral Point, and I guess I didn't know the "badgers" were imported from Galena.

A lot of the English words with silent "k" started off as German and came to us via a the Saxons. Examples are knee (Knie), knob, (Knopf), knot (Knoten), knuckle (Knöchel). The K is always pronounced in German.

Al,Thanks so much for the hint to use another tab. It works like a charm!

Dennis, re today's WoW,I think we all mellow as we age (like fruit does!). It just isn't worth the adrenalin to fight some things any more. It's easier to view things from afar with a benificent "I know more than I'm letting on" smile and leave it at that. This would account for the misconception that "we often lose connectedness and some degree of interest in what's going on".If the average sentence in Columbia is 137 years, how do they finance the upkeep in the jails? I'm guessing they don't get much, but maybe the families have to support them. And this made me think: what if we adopted a policy here of families having to subsidize costs of their family members in prisons. Would the misguided be more mindful of the burden they would be leaving their loved ones if they got caught, and then perhaps not be as likely to turn to crime in the first place? What a saving to the tax payers!

Terry,That's sad. Other cities, like Perth, have gone ahead in leaps and bounds. Adelaide seemed like a laid back country town on both my visits there and apparently hasn't changed.

Isn’t it nice that we are thought well enough of to be checked on and what our thoughts about the LAT XW might be. – Thanks Rex – Don’t think CCs poll quite shows the same sentiment as those that actually take the time to give feedback on the blog. From my observation, the regular Yaks, Loons and CC all agree that the change is good, but may very soon be very challenging.

It was difficult for me to wrap my mind around this one…guess that I wanted to stay in the comfort of the box today ;~p

Texas – The Lone Star State (most probably derived from the single star on our early flags)

JD – Don’t know the name of the pub or what all you were imbibing; but I want some!

Things that make you go Hmmmm?!?!

+ Why do they call it "getting your dog fixed" if afterwards it doesn't work anymore?

Good afternoon, C.C. and all - what a wonderful way to start the day.....really a brain teaser, but doable without using Google or other means. My kind of a puzzle! Didn't realize how much I disliked the TMS clues, until we went to the LATimes. Can't understand why anyone would prefer those old, old clues of TMS.

Planted tomatoes today and pulled up the bolted lettuce and swiss chard. Ah, perfect weather, perfect puzzle and great reader comments. C.C. your knowledge of American words continues to amaze me. Many thanks for the blog site.

A reminder for anyone getting their puzzle in The Oregonian, the time for taking the survey on which puzzle they should publish is drawing to a close. If you haven't already done so, please take the survey now. Crossword Survey

15:20 today. Took me a long time to tumble to the theme. I knew all the states that were being referred to, but not the other sense of "state". Very, very clever, and a lot of fun to solve.

If we were still doing TMS puzzles, we'd all be dreading the Thursday "quip" puzzle coming tomorrow. The LA Times is far superior in virtually every way and I really don't understand those who miss the old one. I know the new puzzles may seem to be inordinately tough for some and the change was drastic, but for the vast majority of the puzzling world, the TMS puzzle was quite puzzling, with a lot of obscurities.

I had about the same glitches everyone else had so I won’t re-hash them. One thing though, is the Bobby Fischer clue I would never had gotten. I managed to get the answer, but had no clue why it was clued that way. I am not a chess player.

C.C. how about cluing IOU as A,E,…

Dennis, I find it hard to believe that the town of Chico, CA actually had to set a $500 fine for anyone detonating a nuclear weapon in city limits. Out of city limits okay then???

Dick, sorry to hear about your #$^% snow again. In MN it is finally a decent day of about 50 degrees and sunny. Our snow is mostly gone.

Thanks to all the tips on the bottom rot tomato problem I have been experiencing. Carol, I have tried adding lime to the soil but that didn’t seem to work either. I think Windhover is right….I think they were actually KY whiskey barrels. I am still convinced it has something to do with those things.

Oh and here is a picture of my bird….V come on, use your imagination…it’s in flight!

Hello All,I was pleasantly surprized that I was able to get this puzzle with effort, but without going for help. I didn't understand the 'pawn'answer in relation to Fischer until I came here. Definitely a duh moment. It is always sad when you can fill it in and still don't know why!!! I had the same problem with 'epee'; thanks for the information Rex Parker, and welcome to the group. I was surprised that 'Lesage" popped into my mind, but I have no idea where that came from...kind of scary what is lurking in my own head. Apiaries was a known to me because you have to hire hives for the pollinization of the grass fields.

I also did the Oregonian puzzle today and got completely stuck and had to 'G' spot to break it open again. Much more satisfaction when I don't have to 'research' the answers. :o) Crockett, aren't these the same people who made the TMS puzzles,(Jo Vita today)? Do you suppose they are working with a different syndicate?

I am pleasantly impressed how the group is bringing in new people that we might not have had if Williams had not decided to retire.

Guday all. No MAJOR problems today but had a rough time with 53a "diligence" for beehive state. I also did not like the cluing for 56a. Koa wood from the Acacia Koa is the full name of the wood. Uke is an abbreviation of ukulele. It should have been noted.

That's about it for today. Have a million chores to do so I must get busy.

Last summer I was sitting on the porch with Emerson Bigguns and it was blisteringly hot. Just to bring up a topic to talk about, I said, "Emerson, have you read Marx?"

I am with Elissa. I must accept that I can cope with only Mon. & Tues. puzzles. Beyond that, I am lost. And it is no longer fun. Is it easier to do it online in that it tells you when a letter is wrong?I never did figure out the states today. Kept wanting the ones I knew. I repeat. It is no longer fun. I'm not up to the rest of the bloggers evidently. The alternative puzzle in the Naples News is too easy, even for me. Sigh.

Gotta love Northern California. The bomb ban, Chapter 9.60.030 of the Chico Municipal Code, just about guarantees that Chico will be ready to take over as the provisional capital of California, in the event that a disaster occurred that would cause evacuation of Sacramento. Sacramentans, shame on them, don't have such a ban written into their city codes.

C.C.:I find that as people get older, they become more of what they have been all along. What they used to try to hide socially becomes less important to them, therefore, more apparent to others. What do you think?Doreen

c.c. Yes, the double B's were my inspiration. They had to appear twice to deliver the theme answers. Today I had the same problem with see red as several of us seemed to. I kept wanting seered to mean get riled. I left it , since everything else seemed to fit. It wasn't until I checked in here that I finally saw red.

I knew that epee was a type of sword, but it didn't feel right for the event to be called an epee. After reading Rex's post I stand corrected. Guess I'll have to eat worms.

Linda: I can understand your caution, but it would probably take someone of Mickey Spillane's caliber to pinpoint exactly which Linda from your particular state or town was contributing to this blog. Things that make you go Hmmm!

Dick & Frank,I often use Crockett's method, but Al's seems to be better. Comments section links are different than my main blog links. Frank, I thought your holy-stoning and holy back-ache yesterday were made up, like my holy hotwick.

Linda,No, I am not pointing at you or anyone on the blog. Just my observation. I saw it in my Dad, my neighbors, my friends.

Sam in Miami,Yes. I feel I've been entertained by Rich Norris. But then again, many solvers feel unhappy because his clues are "illogical" and do not exist in their old reference books.

"kn...." words. English began as a germanic language (Angles, Saxon's, Jutes), hence Anglo-Saxon for Old English. Nobody ever found out what happened to the Jutes. They may have had difficulty surviving and went back home to Germany. In 1066, William the Conqueror came to England, and the effect was a softening of the German Language. The French don't pronounce many of their consonants. From that Middle English evolved (Chaucer's the "Canterbury Tales").

One last entry before I leave for the day. While California is called the Golden State, the native-born people from California are/used to be called Prune Pickers, especially when it was unusual to be "from" California. It was the state people came to. Haven't heard the term used for many years. It used to be when someone asked me where I was born and I said Los Angeles, the reply was a surprised, "Oh, you're a prune picker."

My family came from a farm in Nebraska in the 1930's along with the Oakies and many others when the farms dried up. I have family pictures that look like they are stills from the movie "The Grapes of Wrath."

I always thought cork came from the Cork Tree. I guess I'm half right since according to the dictionary it comes from the Cork Oak Tree. Since it is an evergreen tree, it is unlike any oaks I am familiar with, although I believe the southern Live Oaks are evergreens.

Is there an automatic limit to the number of words you can write in this comment box? Last night I typed a rather lengthy post re. cyclotrons & suddenly I could not type another letter, sign the comment or send it. My computer had not frozen up and I could do anything else on the Internet. So I gave up & left the site.

Sorry cc but you can add condescending to pompous and arrogant for Dennis. His response to my comment yesterday pretty well spelled it out; "speak slowly so you understand". His toungue may be hanging out the side of his mouth but he's one step higher on my "jerk" list. The air must be very thin up there so far above us little people.

CC - as the son of a cattle rancher I'm afraid that I don't know a lot about yaks. What I do know, however, is that when a cow is dri(y) that she isn't producing any milk. I would assume that a dri yak would be the same! ;~)

Clear Ayes, funny thing about yo-yos. Every so often, a kid must bring one into school, and all of a sudden, I'll have a bunch of them looking for a yo-yo. Happens a couple times a year. Other than that, not much interest.

Sallie, hang in there with the puzzles - give it some more time, and I'll bet you find they get easier.

I survived my trip to Wisconsin, although things were even busier and more stressful for me when I got back early this morning than they were when I left. Ah well, at least I still have a job, and that's saying a lot in this economy...

Today's puzzle was doable, but a bit of a slog. A lot of missteps, and some of the cluing seemed a bit off. As others have said, for example, I always thought that cork came from the Cork Tree. Unknowns were few and far between (I actually knew ERIS and KASEM, but ADELEH was a new one).

I had an interesting cross-word related experience on my trip, btw. I had picked up a book of NYT Sunday Crossword puzzles a number of years ago for a trip and didn't get very far in them. I found the book laying around as I was preparing for this trip and figured I'd give it another go, since I've actually been doing the NYT Sunday Puzzles the last year or so and have gotten pretty good at them.

The puzzles were, to be short, impossible. I felt like C. C. must have felt the first time she tried doing an English puzzle, since I swear these puzzles were in some bizarre language that bore only a tangential resemblance to any language I have ever seen before. I finally looked at the copyright date on the book and discovered it was compiled in 1979. For those who have heard the phrase "Maleska Era" before, these puzzles must predate those by at least a decade. I'm just amazed at how much things have changed since then in terms of familiar actors, public figures, common phrases, etc.

For example, RED DOG was clued as "Rush the passer." Apparently, RED DOG is what "blitz" used to be called.

What killed me, though, was the fact that often there were huge groups of these words intersecting in multiple places. For example, the following all appeared together in one section:

Doreen,I think this forward I got recently exemplifies what you were saying about not caring after a certain age:

They always ask at the doctor's office why you are there, and you have to answer in front of others what's wrong and sometimes it isembarrassing.There's nothing worse than a receptionist who insists you tell her what is wrong with you in a room full of other patients. Many of us have experienced this, and I love the way this old guy handled it.An 86-year-old man walked into a crowded waiting room and approached the desk. The receptionist said, 'Hello, sir. Can you please tell me why you're here to see the doctor today?''There's something wrong with my dick,' he replied.The receptionist became irritated and said, 'You shouldn't come into a crowded waiting room and say things like that.''Why not? You asked me what was wrong and I told you,' he said. The receptionist replied, 'Now you've caused some embarrassment in this room full of people. You should have said there is something wrong with your ear or something and discussed the problem further with the doctor in private.'The man replied, 'You shouldn't ask people questions in a room full of strangers, if the answer could embarrass anyone.' The man walked out, waited several minutes and then re-entered. The receptionist smiled smugly and asked, 'Yes?''There's something wrong with my ear,' he stated.The receptionist nodded approvingly and smiled, knowing he had taken her advice. 'And what is wrong with your ear, sir?''I can't pee out of it,' he replied. The waiting room erupted in laughter. Mess with seniors and you're gonna lose!

Sallie,Yes, it is easier to work your way up to another ability level by practicing with the red hints at the regular level. It's what I did last week with the weekend puzzles, and at least you can cheat a little without spending too much time that way. Give it a try.

Lola: Paranoia isn`t logical. i know all the facts you say are true...but...

Buckeye: Will we ever get to see the real you in an avatar? You remind me of my Dad with your humor and one-liners. He did a lot of his to mask deep hurts from child hood.What ever your reasons...you make me laugh out loud.

CC: I was rushed this AM...couldn`t do much of the puzzle...and can`t seem to get back into them after noon...

Mr. Feyer,Thank you for your thoughts and for the links to Puzzle Pointers and your Non-Blog :)

"Do you use only Across/Down clues like some other speed solvers do for early weekday grids?""I have dabbled a bit with Downs-only solving, which is a fun challenge, in the pocket-size "Sit & Solve Crosswords" books. (Across-only solving is even harder and not recommended)."I am afraid I am confused as to what exactly Across Only or Down Only means. Do this mean that some people can solve an entire puzzle without ever looking at the Across clues? Or, alternately, only using the Across clues. I find it hard to believe that this could be the case. Can anyone explain this to me?

Florida is called the 'Sunshine State' for obvious reasons. Montana, where I was born and raised, is known as the 'Treasure State' due to the history of mining precious metals there. It is also called the 'Big Sky Country' due to both its size and its typically clear skies. The appellation I like the most is, 'The Last Best Place' and here is one of the reasons why it is called that.

"Wish APR (22A: Car loan letters) were clued as "19D month". It would be a great crossing with IRS (19D: Treasury Dept), don't you think so?"Absolutely!

"ERIS. Discordia for the Romans. She is the sister of Ares, god of war. She indirectly caused the Trojan War, correct? Since she threw the Apple of Discord at the party."Yes. So the story goes. Those darn Greeks were almost as silly as those ridiculous Christians.

"Only knew him "Deejay Casey". He is a Lebanese-American."I, too, was unaware that Mr. KASEM was the voice of Shaggy. I suspected that he was of either Greek, Turkish or Lebanese descent, though.

"It only bugles during the rut season, right?"Right again. This is a sound I know from personal experience, having grown up in Montana.

"Oh, my god, Dictionary further explains that ELIHU means "He is my god" or "my god is he"."I don't think this should be taken to suggest that Elihu Yale or anybody else should view Mr. Yale as their G_d. It is surely a designation indicating his devotion to YHWH.

I got LE SAGE from the fills. However, I am much more familiar with pianist Eric Le Sage who has accompanied flutist extraordinaire Emmanuel Pahud (principal flutist for the Berlin Philharmonic) on many of his recordings.

"ADELE H refers to ADELE Hugo,"At sea on that one. I got it from the fills, too.

"Do you have a better clue for IOU?"'Three for one lacking'

"Pastoral poems: IDYLS. More familiar with IDYLL."This one hung me up a bit as, like Crockett1947 and C.C., I wanted the double 'L' for the plural form. I am pretty sure that the double 'L' spelling is the correct one.

"I am surprised that Noah's ARK is also mentioned in Qur'an."You shouldn't be. The biblical story of Noah's ark has an antecedent in the Epic of Gilgamesh. So, it's not as if the writer's of the Qur'an stole it from the Bible. Stories of a world-wide deluge are, world-wide. When one considers the fact that fossils of ocean life have been found at the tops of very high mountain ranges, it becomes hard to deny that there must have been some kind of cataclysmic event that submerged most of the world, if only briefly in terms of geological time. It seems to me that a major meteor impact or series of impacts is the most plausible scenario.

"Martin,Come on, HANOI in East Asia? "Southeast is still East. I think martin simply differentiates East Asia from Central Asia.

'Fischer's man?' was, hands down, my favorite clue.

Lemonade,Bear in mind that I was referring to what defines 'high art'. Sincerity is certainly not a requirement for art, at all. There is, and always has been, plenty of insincere art. That being said, one can create art that is totally commercial, be open and honest about it and be very sincere in one's attempt to produce the best quality work of which one is capable. I was merely attempting to distinguish 'purported' high art from mere propaganda. Was Rubens a whore? I don't know. Perhaps he actually believed that Catherine d'Medici was, in fact, semi-divine. In which case, he was not a whore. However, that would make him an idiot, which, as far as I am concerned, is almost as bad.As for "a history of commissioned works (that are) wonderful", sure there are a great many 'wonderful' commissioned works of art. That does not means that many of them are not pernicious in nature. It is all too easy to seduce the unsuspecting masses with pretty images. Remember that, before the days of radio and TV (those pinnacles of brain-washing technology), painting, sculpture, music and even puppet shows were the means by which information was disseminated, be it pro-establishment or anti-establishment.

Have I stolen Dennis' pompousness yet?

Rex Parker,Are you one of the regular contributors to the LA Times XW?

"getting smiles and fun and surprise from a puzzle. Who doesn't need that every day?!"Everyone does ... whether they know it or not.

"Wisconsin's license plates say "the Dairy State", though lately it seems that CA has overtaken our production"WOW! I had no idea you were so prolific, ClearAyes.

"A lot of the English words with silent "k" started off as German and came to us via a the Saxons. Examples are knee (Knie), knob, (Knopf), knot (Knoten), knuckle (Knöchel). The K is always pronounced in German."That explains 'Evel Knievel' and his black sheep brother "Awful Knawful'.

"And this made me think: what if we adopted a policy here of families having to subsidize costs of their family members in prisons. Would the misguided be more mindful of the burden they would be leaving their loved ones if they got caught, and then perhaps not be as likely to turn to crime in the first place? What a saving to the tax payers!"That sounds like a great idea, but I would suggest that, before we do that: How about we stop throwing people in jail for stupid $#@! ?

"Texas – The Lone Star State (most probably derived from the single star on our early flags)"It most likely has a much deeper, symbolic meaning. Much of this country's history has been hidden from view. Many of the founders of this nation were Masons and I suspect that both the 'Lone Star' state and the 'Keystone State' have meanings that lie with the realm of the esoteric.

Jeannie,If you are encountering 'root rot', then it is obviously due to a high moisture content in the soil. Repot your tomatoes mixing the soil with plenty of Sphagnum (Peat Moss) to make sure that it is well-drained.

Minnesota Fats,It is unfortunate that, not only did you not have the wits to recognize Dennis' tongue-in-cheek remark but, you also did not exhibit the good grace that Crossedlover did upon realizing your error. Go troll somewhere else.

Doreen,"What they used to try to hide socially becomes less important to them, therefore, more apparent to others."Hey! I resemble that comment.

No offense, Lola, but I am still convinced that yesterdays' theme was 'Laker'. Think about it!

"Is there an automatic limit to the number of words you can write in this comment box? Last night I typed a rather lengthy post re. cyclotrons & suddenly I could not type another letter, sign the comment or send it. My computer had not frozen up and I could do anything else on the Internet. So I gave up & left the site."That's a very good question. However, given the lengthiness of my recent posts (this one included), I suspect not.

Jeannie,"I was a huge Nirvana fan. What was your favorite tune?'Not too big on Nirvana. I like Soundgarden, though.

Barry G.,"For those who have heard the phrase "Maleska Era" before"You got me there. I also have to say that those old puzzles questions are murderous. They remind me of an email I got not long ago about just what was required to pass the eighth grade in the 19th century.

Ah yes, I came to the puzzle late today and had to do it online. I thought it was challenging, but still fun. If I could have focused a little better (without dozens of things on my mind) I am sure I would have done better at it. Certainly liked it though, and caught on that they weren't looking for actual states early on. Amazingly, I knew KEACH right off, never having even seen any Mike Hammer stuff. The Fischer clue was a good one. I sensed that it related to chess, but wasn't catching to what the answer was right off. And amazingly, I knew Casey Kasem was the voice of Scooby Doo. Imagine knowing that little tidbit. I wanted ENEMIES instead of NEMESIS also, but had the M in from the across clue right away, so it didn't work.

For the best Canolli's ever go to Mike's bakery in the North End of Boston. But be prepared to wait in line. They are to die for.

Sallie, I did crosswords for a really long time before I was good enough to start tackling ones later in the week. I eventually purchased crossword reference books for help (prior to being able to google things). It really helps to look up the harder clues, and then work with the perps to complete others. Keep at it. Each time you complete a little more and it will be very rewarding in the end. They are fun to do with others also, and that can help out too. I love when I find another addict and we complete them together.

I think it is time we ignore Minnesota Fats comments. Maybe he will get tired of that and quit showing up. Don't know why people are compelled to put others down that they don't even know.

CC - The Twins redeemed themselves last night. What a great 9th inning. I sent the boys to bed, and of course they were furious in the morning. We do have a no TV during the week rule that they regularly try to skirt when baseball is on. Couldn't believe all the excitement at the dome for only the second game.

PMT, ever heard of Panthalassa?Also, "world wide" at that time was the middle east.

Jeannie, I'm enjoying your daily history facts. I am not a Curt Cobain fan, but his wife, Courtney Love, has never recovered from his death. She's had a rough life. Her mom has been my friend since high school.

PMT, Actually, pretty complimentary. You obviously read (and possibly made notes) on every post made today. If I were one of those who had not received a PMT response or comment, I might feel slighted.

Oh yes, California dairy is like, the leader. Do they not have the funny California cows and cheese commercials in Florida? I know you are not televisionally enthused, so perhaps not.

Have to leave now. There is a documentary about Beluga whales on our local PBS channel. Looks really interesting.

@Thomas and anon...Jeannie is a very complex person and not sharing the information. Good luck to each of you to "break the code". No one has as of yet. I find it really hard no one has a favorite Nirvana tune. Some of you that weren't in the era of his listen to some of his links on youtube. Once again I am challenged by linking. BTW, MN FATS, you have no chance. Just your name turns me off. To bad for you. Gonna take a shot at me now? Come on big guy...

I enjoyed today’s puzzle – it was a challenge. Took me some time to finish it but with no help. About the cork/oak – I know I have seen it in xwords before, I thought it was in some of TMS, but maybe not.

Jeannie:There should be no period after S in Harry S Truman, just as there should be no period after Dr in Dr Pepper. Just a bit of trivia.

I do like your “It happened on this day.”

Razzberry:You must be very proud. Wish I were that computer literate!

Dick and JD:Thanks for asking the “how to” question.

Al:Thanks for the answer.

Florida is The Sunshine State (I think someone already said that.) Anyway, the Saint Petersburg Times used to give away a paper on the days with no sunshine. However, the practice is now defunct. Do any of you remember this?

Lemonade, I just couldn't make it to FL last night as I had to work today. I did mapquest it and it's about a 1700 mile hike. Too bad, as I would have enjoyed your Seder celebration. Being a foodie and a good cook, what was served?

I will pay that retainer somehow some way, as I am pretty sure I will need it in the future. Maybe the secret code? That ought to keep me out of trouble for a number of years. Are you sworn to secrecy like an MD?

Lemonade, I just couldn't make it to FL last night as I had to work today. I did mapquest it and it's about a 1700 mile hike. Too bad, as I would have enjoyed your Seder celebration. Being a foodie and a good cook, what was served?

I will pay that retainer somehow some way, as I am pretty sure I will need it in the future. Maybe the secret code? That ought to keep me out of trouble for a number of years. Are you sworn to secrecy like an MD?

@jeannie Making a link is really not that difficult. To start out, you need a left caret (<), then type "a href=" (a href=) followed by the url (address) of what you want to link to (http://www.allclassical.org) followed by a right caret (>). Then type the text that you want to use for your link (AllClassical 89.9, Portland, OR). Close out the link with a left caret(<), a slash(/), an "a" (a) and a right caret (>).